Machine for measuring surface areas.



G. H. GAVANAGH.

MACHINE FOR MEASURING SURFACE AREAS: APPLICATION FILED OUT. 20, 1913.

1,095,704. Patented May 5, 1914.

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G. H. GAVANAGH. MACHINE FOR MEASURING SURFACE AREAS.

APPLIOATION IILBD 001'. 20, 1913.

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GEORGE H. CAVANAGH, F BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR MEASURING SURFACE AREAS.

'Brookline, county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have inventedan Improvement in Machines for Measuring Surface 7 Areas, of which thefollowing description, in

2 wheel is engaged by the work and is moved wheel or segment.

connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likecharacters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a machine for measuring surface areas, and isespecially designed and adapted among other uses, for measuring hides,skins and leather.

The invention is an improvement upon measuring machines of thewell-known Sawyer type, in which measuring wheels are employed to makecontact with the hide or skin and to be rotated thereby.

The present invention has for its object to increase the accuracy ofmeasuring machines of the character described, which is accomplished byproviding the machine with two sets of measuring wheels, which may bedesignated main and auxiliary measuring wheels. The auxiliary measuringwheel is operatively connected with the usual toothed wheel or segment,which actuates the indicating mechanism, such as the usual pointer, andthe main measuring wheel carries a pinion which engages the toothed Themain measuring wheel is bodily movable independently of the auxiliarywheel, and the bodily movement of the main wheel by the hide, skin orleather, whose surface is to be measured, serves to move its piniontoward the toothed wheel or segment, and the bodily movement of theauxiliary measuring wheel serves to move the toothed wheel or segmenttoward and into engagement with the said pinion. The main and auxiliarywheels cooperate with the usual bed roll, and owing to difference indiameter of the said wheels, the main wheel is moved bodily by the workbefore the latter engages and moves the auxiliary wheel, therebyenabling the main wheel to be rotated by the work while this bodilymovement is taking place without affecting the indicating mechanism, asthe toothed wheel remains unaffected by the bodily and rotary movementsof the main wheel until the toothed wheel is engaged with the pinioncarried by the main wheel, which does not take place until the auxiliarySpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 20, 1913.

Patented May 5, 1214.

Serial No. 796,160.

bodily thereby. The main wheel is preferably composed of two disks ormembers separated from each other, and the auxiliary wheel is locatedin'the space between the members'of the main wheel. This arrangementincreases the accuracy of the machine by reducing the liability of errorcaused by the end or edge of the hide or skin engaging only a portion ofa measuring wheel, as will be described. These and other features ofthis invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of thisspecification.

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a measuring machineembodying this invention. Fig. 2, a front elevation of a portion of themachine shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a detail on an enlarged scale,illustrating one of the main and one of the auxiliary wheels and thetoothed segment cooperating therewith. Fig. l, a detail in section to bereferred to, and Fig. 5, a plane of the auxiliary measuring wheel andits supporting lever.

Referring to the drawing, a represents the framework of a machine formeasuring surface areas, which is of the Sawyer type and such as nowcommonly used for measuring the surface areas of hides, skins andleather, except as to'features which will be described in detail andwhich constitute the essence of this invention. The framework a supportsthe usual bed roll 6, with which cooperates a plurality of mainmeasuring wheels 0 and a plurality of auxiliary measuring wheels (Z. Themain measuring wheels 0 are bodily movable independently of theauxiliary measuring wheels CZ, and each of said main measuring wheels ispreferably made of two disks or circular members 10, 12, (see Fig. 3)fast on a center shaft 13having fast on it a pinion 14, which is locatedbetween the members 10, 12. The disks or members 10, 12, are preferablyprovided with inturned circumferential flanges 15, which are separatedby an annular space 16, through which is passed a toothed device 17,herein shown as awheel but which maybe a segment of a wheel, which isdesigned to be engaged with and rotated by the pinion 14: and which isoperatively connected with the pointer of the. indicating mechanism, notshown, in a manner well understood, and, in the present instance, thetoothed wheel 17 is connected by a cord or chain 18 with a system oflevers 19, which are connected by a cord or chain 20 with a main lever21, which operates the index pointer. The main measuring wheel 0 issupported at three points, as herein shown, to wit, at its lower portionby the bed roll Z) on which it normally rests, and at opposite sides byrollers or wheels 2-2, 23, which latter, if desired, may be providedwith central annular flanges 24, 25, which extend into the space 16. Themeasuring wheel 0 is capable of being inserted between the bearingwheels 22, E23, and of being withdrawn from between the same, whendesired. The auxiliary measuring wheel (Z is located between the members10, 12, of the main wheel 0 and is extended through the space 16 so asto make contact with the bed roll 6.

The auxiliary wheel (Z is supported, as herein shown, by a lever 30,which is provided within the main measuring Wheel with bearing portions31, 32, for the shaft 33 of the auxiliary measuring wheel (Z, saidbearing portions being offset or separated from each other, (see Fig.5), and having extended from. their opposite ends arms of a sufficientthinness to pass through the space 16 in the circumference of the mainmeasuring wheel. The lever 30 has one end pivotally mounted on a rod 35supported by the side frames of the machine, and its other or free endis provided with an enlargement 36, which forms a counterweight orbalance for the toothed wheel 17, which is connected with the saidlever. In the present instance, the toothed wheel 17 has its shaft 40carried in one end of a lever 41, which is pivoted at 42 to an arm 43forming part of the framework, and which has its other end con-- nectedby a link or rod 44 to the lever 30. The link 44 is pivoted at one endto the lever 41 and has its other end passed through a hole in the lever30 and provided at its lower end with screw-threads, which are engagedby a nut 45, so that by turning the nut 45, the distance bet-ween thetwo levers 41, 30, may be lengthened or shortened so as to adjust thetoothed wheel 17 with relation to the pinion 14. The counterweight 36acts to keep the auxiliary measuring wheel normally in contact with thebed roll, and also moves the lever 41 so as to raise the toothed wheel17 out of engagement with the pinion 14 carried by the main measuringwheel.

By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that when the hide, skin orleather or other work is fed over the table 47 into the machine, in thedirection indicated by the arrow 48, the front edge of the work willengage the main measuring wheel before it engages the auxiliarymeasuring wheel, which is due to the difference in diameters of the twowheels. The work carried under the main measuring wheel by the bed rollrotating in the direction of the arrow 49, moves the main measuringwheel with which it engages, bodily upward, and brings the pinion 14nearer to the toothed wheel 17, and the said maid measuring wheel isalso turned by the work, but its rotation does not affect the indicatoror pointer, because the toothed wheel 17 is not engaged with the pinion14. The work is carried into engagement with the auxiliary measuringwheel at and lifts the same away from the bed roll. This upward movementof the auxiliary measuring wheel effects movement of the toothed wheel17 toward the pinion 14, through the lever 30, link 44 and lever 41, andengages the toothed wheel 17 with the pinion 14, where upon furtherrotation of the main measuring wheel 0 by the work, whose front edge isstill in contact with the main measuring wheel, effects rotation of thetoothed wheel 17 and movement of the index pointer or other indicatingmechanism. It will thus be seen, that very thin stock or work is capableof being measured, because the distance the toothed wheel 17 isseparated from the pinion 14 is reduced by the bodily movement of themain measuring wheel, which enables the engagement of the toothed wheel17 with the pinion 14 to be effected by a slight bodily movement of theauxiliary measuring wheel. As a result, thin stock or work can bemeasured accurately as well as thick stock or work.

By reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that adjacent main measuringwheels are located substantially in contact with each other, and that amaximum number of the said wheels may be employed in a machine of givenlength, and by reason of the auxiliary measuring wheels being locatedbetween the side members of the main measuring wheel, it will be seenthat the work engaged by the auxiliary measuring wheel within one mainwheel, may overlap and make contact with the eircun'iference of theadjacent side mem ber of the next adjacent main measuring wheel, and canrotate the latter without affecting the indicating mechanism, for thereason that it is necessary for the overlapping edge to engage theauxiliary measuring wheel within the next adjacent main measuring wheelbefore the indicating mechanism will be affected. It will thus be seenthat the liability of error is reduced substantially one-half, forwhereas, in machines of this class as now constructed and known to me, aprojecting edge of the work may be of less width than the width of ameasuring wheel, yet it will effect a registration, because any rotationof the measuring wheel is transmitted to the registering mechanism orpointer, whereas, in the present case, the projecting edge may be of awidth substantially equal to one-half of the width of the main measuringwheel in order to affect the registering mechanism, because theprojecting edge must be wide enough to engage the auxiliary measuringwheel in order to afiect the registering mechanism. As a result, ameasuring machine embodying this invention is capable of measuring thesurface of irregular objects, such as hides, skins and leather, withgreat accuracy.

In the present instance, I have shown the auxiliary measuring wheelsemployed with main measuring wheels composed of two halves or members,but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, as theymay be used with main measuring wheels of ordinary construction, or withone half of the main measuring wheels herein shown.

It will be observed that in the machine herein shown, the main measuringwheels are externally supported within the width of the circumference ofthe wheel, thereby enabling the usual center support for measuringwheels to be dispensed with, and also enabling the main measuring wheelsto be set closer together and a large number to be assembled in a givenlength of machine.

The toothed wheel 17 is provided with a pin or stud 50, which engages aback-stop in the form of a lug 51 on the lever 41.

Claims:

1. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a bed roll,a main measuring wheel normally resting on said bed roll and composed oftwo disks or members separated from each other, a pinion located betweenand carried by said members, a toothed device extended between themembers of said measuring wheel and cooperating with said pinion, anauxiliary measuring wheel located between the members of the mainmeasuring wheel and nor mally resting on said bed roll, a lever carryingsaid'auxiliary measuring wheel and extended between the members of themain measuring wheel, a lever carrying said toothed device, means forconnecting said levers, and a weight attached to the lever carrying theauxiliary measuring wheel, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the character desaid toothed device, an auxiliarymeasuring wheel bodily movable by the work whose surface is to bemeasured, a support for said auxiliary measuring wheel, and means forconnecting said supports, for the purpose specified.

3. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a mainmeasuring wheel, and an auxiliary measuring wheel, both bodily movableby the work whose sur face is to be measured, a device movable with themain measuring wheel, and a device movable with the auxiliary measuringwheel and cooperating with the first-mentioned device, substantially asdescribed.

4:. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a mainmeasuring wheel composed of two disks or members separated by acircumferential space, and an auxiliary measuring wheel of smallerdiameter than said main measuring wheel and ext-ended into thecircumferential space between the members of the main measuring wheel,for the purpose specified.

5. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a measuringwheel provided with side members separated from each other, a centershaft connecting said members, a pinion on said center shaft betweensaid side members, and a toothed device extended between said sidemembers and cooperating with said pinion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses,

GEORGE H. OAVANAGH.

Witnesses JAS. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY.

Copies of this patent man be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

